Siren Song
by LokiFenokee
Summary: Maui & Tamatoa encounter a legendary marsh dweller who can lure even a demigod towards doom. A one-shot in the "Future Legend" universe.


Maui lounged in the shade of the coconut palms, enjoying the breeze coming in off the sea in a lazy afternoon. The wind whispered through the fronds overhead, a soft murmur that joined the voice of the surf gently rolling against the shore. The sparkling spray of the waves drifted through the air, settling on the golden sand and making it glisten in the noon sun. Puffy white clouds scudded across the horizon in no particular hurry, drifting aimlessly through the sky. From somewhere behind him in the trees, a handful of birds were warbling halfheartedly, as if the effort of singing a full throated song was too much to bother with on such a day. Even the little shorebirds, usually darting energetically amongst the waves looking for tidbits of food in the sand, were taking the day off to roost comfortably in the shade off the beach. The demigod watched it all through eyes half-lidded, drifting into a nap here and there as the mood struck him.

Maui was waiting.

He'd been here on this little island for months now, patiently waiting. He'd alternated his time between the human village on one side of the island and this little cove. The humans knew he was on the island and he visited them often, telling stories and singing and feasting with them. He never stayed long, however, and despite their frequent invitations to stay in a guest _bure_ , he never slept among them. Instead, he returned to this quiet cove to relax and to wait.

Somewhere on the island, well secluded and hidden away, a young crab monster was molting. Maui wasn't sure where exactly, as Tamatoa was incredibly secretive about the whole ordeal. Curious though Maui was about what it was like, he hadn't really asked too deeply about it either, always just writing it off another quirk of his friend's species. 'Crab things,' as Maui usually put it. Nevertheless, he understood that it was a very vulnerable time for the crab. They'd been through this many times by now, more than a century after he'd brought a tiny crab monster out of Lalotai. Usually, things went fairly smoothly, although it was always a bit stressful for them both when the crab outgrew whatever borrowed shell he was currently wearing.

Over the years, Maui had gotten pretty good at predicting when his friend would need an upgrade. He didn't know what giant crabs did in Lalotai to find proper shells as they grew, but it was no easy task to find appropriately sized ones in the surface world. Tamatoa grew to rely on Maui's assistance for that and the demigod was happy to help. He knew Tamatoa's tastes well enough to find him something he'd like. The crab always looked so ecstatic when Maui found him something shiny and new, so it was well worth it.

The past few times, however, were challenging. It was growing increasingly difficult to find shells large enough for the growing crab. He was much larger than any surface crab would ever be, standing almost mid-thigh high to Maui before he disappeared for this molt. The last time Tamatoa had needed a shell, Maui had ended up having to raid a Kakamora ship for one of the enormous conch shells they sometimes used as war horns. It had been a risky, but exciting, endeavor that required no small amount of cunning to pull off. The Kakamora had not been amused, but Tamatoa sure was when Maui told him the tale of how he'd acquired the stolen shell.

Maui wondered how much longer the crab would need those shells for protection. He hoped it wasn't too much longer or they might have very real trouble finding new shells soon. For that matter, he also wondered how much bigger Tamatoa was going to get. The question occurred to him in passing every so often, often with a nagging thought that eventually it might become rather important. Maui always shrugged it off, though. It was a worry for another day.

Besides, he had other worries today. Tamatoa was taking longer than usual. True, as he crab had grown larger over the years it seemed to take more time for him to reemerge. Even so, he was usually back by now and Maui was beginning to get a little concerned.

He tried to put his worries aside and just be patient, but as time went on those worrisome thoughts began to dog him relentlessly. What if something had happened to Tamatoa? What if something had gone wrong? Or if someone or something had found him? What if something dug him up from wherever he was buried, unprotected and unable to fight back?

Finally, Maui couldn't tune out these unsettling thoughts any longer. With great purpose, he jumped up from where he was reclined in the shade. He snatched up his hook from nearby and started determinedly off for the interior of the island. He knew Tamatoa liked his privacy during this time, but he just wanted to make sure his friend was okay. He'd just have to go check.

He knew roughly what to look for. The first time the crab had needed to molt after leaving Lalotai—and what an awkward conversation that had been—Maui had snuck after him curiously and watched as the little crab had buried himself in the soft sand. Apparently he wasn't as sneaky as he though, though, and he'd gotten quite an earful about his bad manners from the crab later.

With that in mind, he set himself to searching the sandier areas of the island for any sign of Tamatoa. Bad manners or not, he just wanted to make sure he was okay. He hoped he hadn't run afoul of any of the villagers. While the humans here had seen the crab many times now and knew him to be Maui's companion, he wasn't sure they would understand these sort of crab things and might hurt him without meaning to. On the other hand, Tamatoa tolerated humans well enough, but didn't particularly share Maui's love of them either. He might not react well to being approached by them during such a touchy time. It would really be better for everyone if that didn't happen.

He searched for much of the afternoon, combing the island for any disturbed earth that might indicate the crab was ensconced below. His worry only grew as he found no sign of his friend anywhere. Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon, he was forced by the fading light to abandon the search for the day. He would have to pick it up again in the morning. Disheartened, Maui returned to the cove and laid down on his sleeping mat for the night. His worries kept him awake, though, and he stared up at the starry skies above for a long time before finally drifting into a restless sleep.

The sun was already warm on his skin when Maui was rudely thrown awake by something heavy landing on his chest. "Oof!" he gasped, his breath rushing out of in a whoosh.

"Maui!" came an excited and familiar voice.

Relief washed over Maui. It would seem that his worries had been unfounded and everything was just fine. Still hazy from sleep, he opened his eyes to greet his returning friend.

Tamatoa had pounced on him, legs clinging to the sides of his broad chest and their sharp points digging at his ribs. The crab was really getting too big to be jumping on him like this anymore, Maui thought idly, then blinked in surprise as realization struck him.

Tamatoa wasn't wearing a seashell. Not only that, the crab now sported bright new colors on his fresh, glossy exoskeleton—no longer a uniformly dull, drab purple anymore. Maui stared and Tamatoa grinned widely at him, happiness writ large on his expressive face.

"Look, Maui!" he said brightly. "No shell! Just my own now!"

Without waiting for a reply, Tamatoa scrambled off of Maui and onto the ground. Maui sat up and watched as the jubilant crab strutted across the beach before him, showing off his new look proudly.

It was a pretty good look, too. Still predominantly purple, the color had deepened to a richer, more nuanced tone with shades of violet and indigo blended throughout. There were now rosy hues highlighting his face and pincers as well and new markings of light blue lines on his neck and legs. His carapace was primarily rich purple, but had very faint blue lines swirled into abstract, but intricate, patterns across it. Without needing a shell protect it anymore, his tail-like abdomen was curled under his body and had its own heavy armoring now, too. All in all, the crab looked rather striking and clearly he was quite pleased about it.

This all explained why the crab had taken so much longer than usual, too. Part of Maui wanted to ask about it, but that would mean admitting that he had been worried and he didn't want to do that.

Tamatoa, still parading across the beach, gave Maui a smile bright as the sun. He practically pranced back over to him, stopping right in front of where Maui was sitting. "Whatcha think?" he asked radiantly, though his eyes were clearly seeking approval.

Maui grinned at the display. "Looks great, kid," he said, "big tough crab now!"

Tamatoa beamed at the praise.

Then the floodgates seemed to open and words began to pour forth in an enthusiastic stream from his friend. "I'm hungry. Are you ready to leave? Where are we going next? Did I tell you that I'm hungry? What do we have to eat? Do you really like my shell? Look at all the colors! I've got these colors now just like you've got your tattoos, see? Let's hurry up and get going! Is the canoe ready? I'm _hungry_. Get up, Maui! Get up! Let's go already!"

"Okay, okay," Maui said, laughing, to stem the tide of questions and demands. "Hold on a minute."

He got up and pulled over a small storage basket from where he'd left it in the shelter of the trees. Maui had set it aside earlier, knowing from experience that Tamatoa would be quite hungry when he finally turned up. He deposited it in front of his friend, who was giving him an expectant look. "Breakfast is served," he said with dramatic flare, opening the lid and snagging a couple pieces of fruit for himself before the ravenous crab could decimate the whole basket.

Clearly famished, Tamatoa practically dove into the basket and immediately began cheerfully stuffing his face.

Maui smiled fondly to himself. He was glad to have his friend back. Even with his frequent visits to the human village, he still felt rather lonely without the crab around to talk his ear off.

He set about getting the canoe ready to sail while Tamatoa gorged himself. It didn't take long to get everything prepped, just as it didn't take long for Tamatoa to polish off his breakfast. Just as Maui was getting the last things ready, the crab was by his side, lobbing the empty basket haphazardly into the hold. He then climbed nimbly up the side of the hull, effortlessly pulling himself onto the deck of the canoe.

Once settled on the deck, he flashed Maui a brilliant smile. "I'm ready!" he announced, "let's go have some fun!"

Maui couldn't help but smile in return. There was an eager, adventurous light in Tamatoa's eyes. Clearly the crab was feeling pretty good about himself right now. Well, that suited Maui just fine, too. After months of loitering around on this island, Maui was bored silly and more than ready to get going.

Gripping the hull with both hands, he heaved the canoe down the sloping beach and then hopped aboard as it splashed into the water. Tamatoa scurried to the bow, clinging to the wood and enjoying the salt spray as they crossed the surf. With the wind in their sails, they were off, skimming across the open sea to the west.

A few weeks of sailing farther west than they had ever trekked before brought them to unfamiliar shores, a vast island they had never previously made landfall on. The island was truly enormous, far larger than most that they visited. Low rolling hills dominated its shape as they approached, swathed in a thick tangle of jungle and blanketed in pale mist. Wild, raucous calls of exotic birds and other creatures drifted across the water to them as the grew nearer, promising mysterious new adventures with their siren song. At the bow, Tamatoa's antennae were tipped forward eagerly, his legs tapping the wooden deck with barely suppressed excitement.

Maui angled the canoe towards the gentle curve of a small cove where a crescent of creamy tan sand reached out from the jungle towards the calm, crystalline waters. The canoe's hull had barely scuffed to a halt, when Tamatoa jumped off the deck and into the shallow edges of the water. He splashed out of it quickly and hurried up onto the beach, glancing back impatiently as Maui pulled the boat above the waterline.

"C'mon, Maui. Hurry up!" the crab called back to Maui as he was tying up the canoe.

"You could help, you know," Maui reminded him. "You're big enough now, after all," he added teasingly.

Tamatoa stopped and seemed to consider that a moment, caught between not wanting to do any work and his obvious pride at outgrowing the seashells that marked him as a juvenile. "Well," he drawled, "you look like you're almost done anyway. Don't want to get in the way." He flashed Maui a cheeky grin, but didn't pester him any more either.

Truthfully, Maui was keen to start exploring this new island too. A few months of idleness had sharpened his boredom to a fine point and he was antsy to get back to adventuring. Thus, as soon as he'd secured the canoe, he grabbed up his hook and joined the crab on the edge of the beach. "Okay, let's go."

Tamatoa looked up from where he'd been digging around in the dunes, chasing the tiny hermit crabs that hid amongst the spears of dune grass. Maui was pretty sure he was eating them. Clearly their distant kinship as a species wasn't enough take them off the menu.

"Finally!" Tamatoa said at Maui's words. He quickly stuffed something in his mouth—yep, he was eating them—then plunged boldly into the foliage.

Maui just shrugged and started after him, cutting a path through the dense vines and jungle creepers with his hook. Progress grew easier as they moved inland and away from the disturbed shoreline areas, with the thick jungle giving way to a more open forest of tall, high-canopied trees. Mist drifted lazily through the upper reaches of the trees, making the warm air thick and heavy with moisture below. Maui stared in wonder at the tall trees, far different from anything they were accustomed to seeing on other islands.

"Eugh!"

Maui blinked, looking away from the trees that had distracted him and seeking out his friend. Tamatoa was half sunk in what looked deceptively like solid ground, but seemed to actually be more of a soupy mud. The crab was trying to pull his legs out of it without much success, the sticky muck holding him fast.

"Hold on a sec, buddy. I got ya," Maui said.

He took hold of the edge of Tamatoa's shell and gave him a tug upward. The mud was surprisingly resistant, but after a few good pulls it finally released the crab with a sound like a slurping squish. Once back on dry ground, Tamatoa examined the dark, smelly mud clinging to his shiny new exoskeleton with unvarnished disgust. "Gross," he said, scraping as much of it off as he could.

Maui had to look away quickly to stifle a laugh. As the vain crab fussed over his appearance, Maui took a moment to check out the bog he'd inadvertently stepped in. It seemed to stretch a long ways into the forest, looking very nearly like solid land if not for the thin sheen of water floating on top of the sucking mud concealed below. Now that the water had been disturbed, the smell of decay and rotting vegetation was pretty strong. Thick trees grew out of the muck at intervals, their trunks speckled green with moss. They'd have to proceed carefully around it, otherwise they both might be trapped in this mess.

Once Tamatoa was satisfied with his cleanliness, they continued on. The crab wisely kept behind Maui now, stepping only where he stepped as they picked their way through the swamp. The water seemed to grow deeper and more marsh-like as they went along, with reeds taller than Maui himself growing in thick clumps around the edges.

They were nearly past the last of the swamp and back into the misty forest when Maui heard it—a rich, lilting voice rolling across the still, dark water. Maui stopped dead in his tracks. Tamatoa clearly heard it too, his antennae perking and his eyestalks turning to Maui inquisitively.

Someone was singing.

The melody drifted to him, a sweet sound that seemed to curl around him with soft and beckoning fingers. He turned, gaze darting around to find the source of the song. Then he saw her. Across the marsh, a woman stood half submerged in the water. She was otherworldly and beautiful. Her short, dark hair was wet and clinging to her dusky face. Around her neck, she wore a string of black pearls, gleaming darkly in the dappled light of the forest. She was also naked.

Her voice reached him again, ethereal as it called to him. He didn't recognize the language she sang in, but it made no difference. The words were immaterial when a voice was as lovely and enticing as hers. Besides, the words may be foreign, but the meaning was plain to Maui. It was a song of welcoming and belonging—a promise of adoration and acceptance and love without condition. He felt a warmth settle upon his heart, enveloping him in a loving embrace that he so craved.

Maui set his hook down slowly and took a step towards the water.

There was a tug at the lava-lava around his waist. He looked down in annoyance at the crab, who he'd already forgotten about and who had one of the ti leaves grasped in his claw. The crab looked up at him, confused. "Maui?" he asked tentatively. "What are you—"

"Not now," Maui said sharply, batting the claw away irritably.

"But—"

" _Not now_. Go away, pest."

Chastised, the crab backed off silently with a look of hurt in his eyes that Maui hardly noticed.

The woman was still singing. She caught Maui's eye and smiled warmly, her hands moving gracefully in a slow dance to match the tempo of her song. He smiled back and stepped into the water.

Tamatoa watched as Maui waded into the dark water, his antennae drooping. He didn't understand why Maui had snapped at him, nor why he was suddenly leaving everything to follow some human into the swamp. The demigod was already in water too deep for Tamatoa to follow, heading slowly across the vast marsh. All Tamatoa could do was watch in despair from the shore, still stung from the harsh words, and wonder what he had done wrong.

Miserable as he was, he almost didn't notice when there was a faint rustle from the brush nearby. He turned one eye to look, then scooted back in alarm as another human woman stepped out of the trees before him. So quickly was he backing up that he ran into something. Turning an eye back now, he jumped forward in shock as he realized it was yet another human.

The first one looked down at him, smiling with too many teeth. She wore a grass skirt and an anklet of white, iridescent shell discs. "Look, my sister, what a big crab we've found," she said.

The one behind him wore a similar smile—a smile that sent a shiver through Tamatoa's antennae. Like the first, she wore a thick grass skirt. Around her wrist was a bracelet of polished bone, carved into odd, grotesque faces. "Biggest one we've found all day," she replied.

Something was off. Something wasn't right. He didn't like this.

A rope of braided fiber was in the first one's hand now and she slowly, methodically fiddled with the bight in the other hand. "What a fine meal he'll make, sister," she went on.

Tamatoa's claws came up, clicking in warning. His antennae flicked and suddenly he realized what was wrong.

They weren't human. Humans all had a certain smell. Maui, a demigod, smelled similar but distinctly different. These creatures smelled nothing like either human or demigod. He didn't know what they were, but he was pretty sure they were trouble.

The second one laughed at his threatening display. "Oh, a feisty one," she cooed, mocking him. "Yes, a fine meal for us. And the other will be a fine meal for our mistress."

The other? Startled, Tamatoa risked a quick glance at Maui. The demigod was still slogging his way through the mire, following the retreating figure of the woman in the water as if in a trance. She was leading him deeper and deeper into the swamp. Uhoh.

That quick glance came at a high cost. Before he could return his attention to the pair of human-shaped creatures, he felt rope cinch around his legs. With a yelp, he was swept over onto his back and his legs were drawn tightly together.

Angry now, he snapped his claws at his captors. "Let me go!" he growled, trying for intimidating. "Or you'll be sorry!"

They both laughed, unimpressed. "Look sister, he talks!" the second one said, cold mirth in her voice.

"A talking crab!" the first one said. "Abere will be pleased with our catch. Perhaps he can entertain her first, once she finishes enchanting the other."

Tamatoa felt cold, fear starting to creep in. The woman in the water had somehow bewitched Maui. They were going to hurt his friend and he was stuck here, tied up. He snapped futilely at them again, but they were well out of reach of his flailing pincers. So instead, he tried to snip the rope around his legs to free himself. Unfortunately, as soon as he reached for the rope, the end of it jerked and was spun quickly around his claws. He cried out as another yank of the rope pulled his claws snugly against his legs, effectively immobilizing him. The rope was tight enough and his limbs were at such an unnatural angle to be painful, eliciting a small whimper from him despite his valiant efforts to suppress it.

The two false humans only laughed at his distress, the second one lifting him up as if he weighed nothing. The first one picked up Maui's hook, examining it curiously. "What do you think this is, sister?"

"The man was carrying it. Perhaps it's valuable. Let's take it," the second replied.

The first one did just that.

The human-shaped creatures waded into the water, carrying him and the fishhook aloft as they crossed the deep swamp. Panic hovered nearby, waiting to overwhelm him if he let it. Tamatoa fought it back, though, and simmering anger bubbled up instead. No, he wasn't a fragile little crab anymore. He wasn't going to let them get the better of him.

As they carried him across the water, he strained his eyestalks to get a glimpse of where Maui was. He was far out in the water now, getting closer to Abere as she lured him on a playful chase, still singing some haunting tune. The two carrying Tamatoa, however, seemed to know a shortcut. Within no time, they were across the water and in what appeared to be these creatures' camp. To enter it, they passed through a wall of closely tied wooden poles, all sharpened to keen points at the top. A small gate was cut into the wall, allowing their entry. They left it open as they stepped inside, clearly not too concerned about visitors in this dismal swamp. Inside were a few crude, rickety huts with palm-thatched roofs—all streaked with mold from the damp swamp air.

Tamatoa didn't have time to see anything more as he was dumped unceremoniously on the ground in some sort of holding pen fenced with bundled reeds. There were several woven baskets in the pen with him, filled with little squirming marsh crabs that they must have already collected. They had put him in here with them as if he was just some common crab, he noted with disdain. Well, if they thought that's all he was, they were going to be in for a nasty surprise when he proved them wrong.

He was still bound and on his back, but his captors left him alone to go back into the swamp to watch as their mistress toyed with Maui. They were underestimating him again and he was going to make sure they regretted it.

Left unsupervised, Tamatoa immediately set to work getting himself free. The ropes were pulled quite taut around him, particularly where they'd looped it to hold his pincers closed, but he was able to wiggle his legs just a little nevertheless. His leg tips were still quite sharp from his recent molt and he used that to his advantage, sawing at the rope fibers with his second pair of legs, where the rope passed nearest to the ends. It was hard work, but he kept at it and was rewarded when the first few braided strands of the rope began to thin and fray.

Encouraged by those first weakened strands, he doubled his efforts and worked furiously at the rope. A few more wispy strands snapped. He was making good progress and there was more give in the rope now. With his bindings starting to slack, he maneuvered his other pair of legs to utilize them as well. More strands fell away under the onslaught, leaving the rope held together by just bare threads. Tamatoa jerked his legs sharply apart. The rope broke, coils falling away from him and releasing his legs at last.

Tamatoa let out a soft sigh of relief, but wasted no time. Quickly, he used his legs to tug the loops away from his claws, freeing them as well, and kicked the last remnants of his bonds away. All that remained was to get back upright. It took a few tries, but he finally managed to throw his weight just right to the side and flip himself over.

Now back on firmer footing, he took stock of his surroundings. It was easy to tear through the reed bundles used to fence the little pen in, then he was out in the open area within the encampment. He could see now that there were three primitive huts, all built up from twisted and gnarled branches and barely held together by loops of rope. They looked terribly unstable, as if a strong storm might knock them over.

He needed to find where they'd put Maui's fishhook and then he needed to figure out how to snap Maui out of whatever Abere was doing to him. If he could wake Maui up and get his hook to him, he knew his friend could make short work of whatever nasty creature Abere was.

At the same time, Tamatoa wanted to make those two fake-humans pay for what they did to him. The feeling percolated up from somewhere within him with such ferocity that it was surprising even to himself. He shook it off, though. He had to help Maui first.

Taking care to make his steps silent, he crept across to the first of the huts. Looking for Maui's hook, he peered into the darkened structure. His antennae swept up in astonishment as he got a good look inside. The hard packed dirt floor was piled high with bones—human bones. Some were bleached white with great age, but others had a fresher smell to them. All were picked clean. Were those tooth marks on them?

Maui wasn't going to like that.

There was no sign of the fishhook inside, though, so he checked the next hut. This one held no surprises like the first, but it also didn't have the hook. There was nothing but a few sleeping mats and the like—useless. He scurried to the third hut, then skidded to a halt as he looked inside. Eyes wide, he stared in wonder at a small hoard of treasure haphazardly heaped in the hut. There was no organization to it and the trinkets were scattered without regard or order. There were pretty shells and gleaming pearls and intricately carved abalone jewelry, along with less interesting carved bone and coconut husk pendants. Scattered among that were shiny gold things that he had no words to describe, treasures that must hail from lands they'd never even dreamt of. Some were marked with inscrutable lines and symbols, others stamped with human faces. There were jewels that caught the light as if they had fire living within them and delicately worked bracelets of the same strange, bright gold material. For a long moment, he just stood and gaped, lost in awe.

He came out of his daze when his eyes fell on the familiar shape of Maui's fishhook, tossed irreverently on the pile and he remembered his purpose. Yet, his eyes lingered longingly on the beautiful treasures sparkling before him. Maybe he had time to just—

The sound of singing outside grew louder, the voice getting closer to the encampment. Tamatoa's antennae went limp with disappointment. He had to get Maui first. Maybe he could come back afterwards, he thought begrudgingly.

He grabbed at the massive fishhook, trying to get a good grip on it. His claws slid uselessly off the scrimshawed bone and he huffed in frustration. Moving around to the other side, he took ahold of the rope-wrapped handle instead, which offered more purchase for his pincers. Despite getting a better hold of it, the hook was still bigger than he was and very heavy. His legs slid in the shifting pile of treasure as he pulled on the handle. Nevertheless, he managed to drag it awkwardly off the pile and out of the hut. Once back outside, he spotted a clump of bushes just outside the encampment's gate, still standing ajar. Quietly as he could while struggling with the hook, he hauled it across the courtyard to the gate. After a peek outside to make sure the coast was clear, he snuck it out and hid it in the bushes.

He lingered a moment in concealment, only his antennae and eyestalks poking out of the foliage. Abere was closer now, with Maui obediently in tow. Tamatoa could see the demigod's face now, plastered with a beatific, but rather vacant, look. Nearby, he could hear the excited whispers of the swamp woman's attendants as they looked on.

Okay, now he needed a distraction.

An idea coming to him, he went back to the pen where he'd been dropped. He kicked over every single basket full of marsh crabs, spilling them onto the ground and sending them scurrying chaotically in all directions. And if he maybe grabbed one for himself before moving on, it was only because he schemed better after a snack.

Next, he returned to the bone hut. Moving fast, he shimmied up one of the support posts to the rafters. A few well placed snips on the ropes binding the joints was enough to start the whole structure wobbling. On the last one, he unwound enough of the rope to make a line long enough to reach outside. Satisfied with his work, he dropped to the ground with a thunk and scurried out, trailing the rope behind him.

Grinning to himself despite the seriousness of the scenario, he backed up as far as the rope would allow. Then he gave the line a hard tug and stood back to watch eagerly.

The hut swayed and teetered drunkenly, then began to collapse. It fell sideways, careening into the sleeping hut with a satisfying crash. To Tamatoa's surprise, the second hut began to come apart as well. Obviously there was shoddy construction involved here. The sleeping hut wobbled, then began to fall sideways into the hut full of treasure. Tamatoa winced. He was hoping not to disturb that one so he could come back and pick through it later. There was no stopping this now, though. He watched in amazement as, with a creak of protest, the third hut began to waver. Finally, all three huts fell together, creating a terrible racket and a throwing debris all over. Bits of wood and treasure and bones rattled off, rolling around the courtyard noisily.

"Whoa," he breathed.

Tamatoa stared at the unexpectedly large amount of destruction he'd wrought with pleased awe. Between the broken huts and the panicked marsh crabs running around, the courtyard was now an appropriately chaotic mess.

There were footsteps approaching. It was time to go. Tamatoa darted across the courtyard. Climbing nimbly up the protective wall, he crested over the top just as the two handmaidens rushed into the encampment. As he was perched on the top of the wall, he broke off one of the pointed ends of the poles. It was sturdy, but his claws were powerful and made short work of it. Then he scrambled back down on the outside with the wooden stake clutched tightly in a pincer.

Inside, he heard the angry shouts of the two fake humans as they tried to deal with the mess he'd left them. He couldn't help but snicker softly at their frustration. They were definitely distracted now. He returned to the gate, pulling the door closed and wedging it firmly shut with the piece of wood he'd taken from the wall. It wouldn't hold them forever, but it would slow them down at least.

There! Done! And all on his own, too. He couldn't help but feel a sense of smug pride at his handiwork, but there was no time to dwell on that now. Still, he hoped Maui would be impressed.

Tamatoa crept down to the edge of the water, keeping to the cover of the plants as much as he could. He didn't exactly blend in well with his beautiful new colors, though. Luckily, Abere wasn't paying attention. She was just a little ways off now in the shade of a heavy branched tree, standing in water deep enough to reach her chest. Her eyes blazed with an unnatural light as she crooned and danced. Maui was close, too. He was just outside arms reach of the woman, a dazed look on his features and his eyes staring distantly without really seeing.

It seemed to be the singing that was hypnotizing his friend. If he could just shut her up, maybe it would break the spell. She was in water too deep for him, though. He tapped his pincers anxiously, trying to figure out what to do. They were so close. So close.

His gaze trailed upward as he tried to come up with a plan. Then it fell upon the wide branches of the tree above—branches that hung directly over the demigod and Abere. Antennae perking up, Tamatoa grinned.

It was easy work to climb the knotty trunk of the tree and within moments he was overhead, balancing carefully as he followed the line of branches above the water. He looked down. It was a long drop. He'd have to be accurate, otherwise he'd end up in water well over his head.

Abere was beginning to reach for Maui, the fire in her eyes glowing brighter with what must be anticipation of a fresh kill. Tamatoa lined himself up, taking a second to steel himself, then jumped.

The swamp witch didn't know what hit her. Claws wide, Tamatoa landed square on her shoulders. Not waiting an instant, he clung with all his legs around her torso and struck viciously with his pincers. He managed to hook one around the woman-creature's nose. The other he clamped onto her neck, just above the pretty strand of black pearls. His claw couldn't get all the way around her neck, but he squeezed it fiercely anyway. It did the trick and her singing was abruptly cut off by a high, gurgling shriek of pain. Hands reached up, scrabbling at his shell and trying to pry him off. He clung on anyway as the marsh woman thrashed. The soft part of her nose made a funny crunching noise and hot blood spilled from it onto his claw. Her thin scream rose in volume.

She was grabbing at his legs now, trying to yank him off her. Whatever Abere really was, she was strong and he was pretty sure she'd rip his legs off if given the chance. Tamatoa released her nose and snapped at her hands now with his free claw, defending himself as best he could without letting go of her neck. He was going to need help here real soon.

"Maui!" he cried out as he struggled with the witch. "Wake up!"

Maui blinked rapidly, his vision blurry and his mind a confused jumble. He had felt so warm and loved and needed, but now he abruptly felt cold and wet. When his vision cleared, he blinked once more in shock.

Tamatoa was clinging to the back of a woman—a stark naked woman standing in the middle of a swamp—and fighting like mad with her. There was blood cascading down from her nose and blood staining the crab's claw. The woman was grabbing at Tamatoa, trying to throw him off, and the crab was retaliating with savage snaps of his bloodstained pincer. The other claw was clamped halfway around the woman's neck.

Maui himself was waist deep in the fetid water, his hook nowhere in sight, and no explanation forthcoming for why exactly that was.

What in Te Fiti's name was going on here?

" _Maui!_ " the crab called again, desperation in his voice. "C'mon! Snap out of it!"

"Tamatoa?" he replied slowly, still confused and trying to get a handle on it.

The crab's antennae perked up swiftly, relief clearly evident on his face even as he struggled with the woman. "Maui! Your hook! In the bushes!" He jabbed a claw in the direction of a bunch of shrubs beside a tall fence of wooden spikes.

"Wha—?" he started to ask, but then thought better of it. He trusted his friend, even if this situation was pretty weird. He sloshed out of the water as directed. As Tamatoa had said, his hook was hidden in the bushes. He took it up, then turned back just in time to see the strange woman catch hold of one of Tamatoa's antennae and give it a hard yank. The crab let out a pained shriek, letting go of the woman's neck almost immediately. His grip slackened, the woman was able to peel him off her back. With a hoarse growl, she threw Tamatoa into the deep water while Maui stared in horror. The crab wasn't built to swim and sank like a stone into the murky water, flailing in panic.

Spurred into action, Maui leapt into the water after his friend. Hook in one hand, he searched under the filthy water with the other. He felt around hurriedly in the muck, but found nothing. Maui was beginning to get really worried when his hand struck something hard. Then there was a light pinch on his hand. Aha! There he was! Maui reached down, scooped up the crab with his arm, and hauled him sputtering out of the water.

Tamatoa gave him a grateful look once he was done coughing up swamp water. Then he scrambled up to cling to the back of Maui's shoulders, hanging onto him with a death grip. "They're not human," the crab wheezed urgently in his ear. "I don't know what they are. There's three of them. That's Abere. Don't let her sing!"

Maui turned to face the woman—Abere—who had by now recovered as well. Her eyes burned like flame and her appearance flickered in the fading light, hinting at glimpses of something truly hideous lurking under her human skin. She opened her mouth, whether to sing or to say something Maui didn't wait to find out. He leapt forward with a throaty bellow, hook swinging. He struck her hard and she was sent reeling backwards. Tamatoa was right, she wasn't human—no human would be still standing after that.

Then she laughed, a chilling sound, and raised her arms skyward. From under the water all around Maui, thick reeds burst forth. They grabbed at him, twining around his legs and rooting him to the spot. More reeds crept up to snatch at his arms, but Tamatoa, still clinging to his shoulders, deftly snipped at them and drove them back.

Tangled in the reeds, Maui growled with annoyance at the demon woman. Her trick with the plants might have been enough to stop an ordinary man, but Maui was far from ordinary. To Tamatoa, he whispered a warning. "Hang on."

The crab said nothing in reply, but Maui felt his many legs pull tighter around Maui's ribs.

With a battle cry, Maui raised his hook and shifted to a hawk's form. He leapt into the air, pulling easily free of the reeds. There was a startled yelp from behind him, but Tamatoa didn't let go as they went airborne. Once he had gained enough altitude, he turned and dove back towards the creature, striking at her with his talons. She ducked away, just barely escaping the attack.

Abere called forth more reeds from the marsh, but they couldn't do much to capture a hawk in flight and she let out a howl of frustration, voice cracking. Apparently Tamatoa's grip on her throat had done quite a number on her. Maui bet she wouldn't be up for an encore song tonight.

It seemed Abere had come to the same conclusion. Unprepared to defeat such a foe, she dove into the still water of the swamp and vanished. Maui could have sworn he saw the flick of a fish's tail as she disappeared.

Landing back on the dry earth outside the wooden wall again, Maui shifted back to his normal shape. Hanging on his back, Tamatoa let out a short sigh, probably happy to be back on solid ground, but didn't let go yet. "There's two inside there. I locked them in," he said, voice low.

There was banging on the other side of the gate, the sound of fists pounding and someone trying to break through the wooden stake wedging the door closed. Well, Maui though with a grin, he would give them a little help.

With a dramatic flourish, he lifted his hook and brought it down on the wooden gate. The door flew off it's crude hinges and crashed inward. Whoever was behind it was blown back, screeching, as well. Picking themselves up from the rubble, the two women inside the encampment stared in terror. Like Abere, their shape seemed to flicker and offer brief looks at their true monstrous selves. It was hard to say what they were from such fleeting glimpses, but it was something grotesque and horrifying that defied reasonable description.

As the dust cleared, Maui stood framed in the gateway. His hook glowed blue, harsh and unyielding. Hanging over his shoulder was Tamatoa, who pointed a claw at them with a wicked grin. "Told you that you'd be sorry!" he crowed at them.

The pair took one look at the irked demigod, the hook gleaming with magic, and the smirking crab, then took off running. Fear is a good motivator and it motivated them both right up and over the wall. Maui was actually a little impressed at how fast they scaled the wall and fled.

"Get 'em, Maui!" Tamatoa encouraged, but Maui just lowered his hook and let them go.

"Nah," he said with a disarming chuckle, "they won't be back." To be honest, he found it a little uncomfortable to fight something that looked so much like a human. Even knowing that something else lurked beneath their human appearance, it still made him feel weird.

He took a moment to look around the courtyard, which was in total disarray. There were piles of rubble that looked like they might have once been wooden huts. There was a torn up reed fence and dozens of little freshwater crabs milling about.

He looked over his shoulder to Tamatoa, eyebrow raised. "Did you do all this?"

The crab let out a sly little giggle and Maui felt the legs hugging him let go. There was a soft thump behind him as the crab landed back on the ground. He turned to look at his friend, who was beaming up at him.

"Yep!" the crab said proudly, practically striking a pose.

Then Tamatoa cheerfully launched into the whole story, complete with deep offense at being tied up and pride at his clever escape from the ropes. When he got to the part about Abere planning on making a meal of the hypnotized demigod, Maui's eyes widened. They narrowed angrily when he learned about the hut full of human bones, though, and he suddenly wished he hadn't let the creatures go. Then Tamatoa told him about finding Maui's hook in a treasure hut and abruptly cut his story short.

"Oh! I almost forgot about that!" the crab exclaimed, then scurried off immediately to go poke around in the rubble.

Maui stood, a little dumbstruck, and considered what Tamatoa had told him. He had been so ensnared by Abere's song that he had just walked away from everything that mattered to him—pushing his best friend away and abandoning his hook, too. He'd wanted what the song offered, though. It had promised love and acceptance and worth and he wanted it so badly. It was quite a spell, he had to admit. Maui wrote it off as just that, too—an enchantment that would have done the same to anyone—and didn't think any more deeply about it.

He had to recognize, however, that had Tamatoa not come to his aid, he might well have ended up like whatever poor souls had left their bones behind here before him. The crab had saved his life, there was no denying it—the first time he actually _needed_ saving since the day his parents had cast him into the sea to die. There had been no reproach or reprimand from his friend, either, despite the rude words Maui had apparently aimed at him while under Abere's sway. Maui had sent him away, but Tamatoa had saved his hide anyway.

Maui watched his friend, who was pulling glittery bits of treasure out of the wreckage in the courtyard with joyous abandon. There was still a great deal of youthful innocence still in Tamatoa, but the crab was clearly growing up and getting pretty clever and crafty as he did so, too. Just think of the adventures they could go on now that he was less fragile! They'd be unstoppable once the crab got a little bigger.

Tamatoa's voice broke into his thoughts. "Maui! Come check this out!" He was half buried in the pile of treasure he'd uncovered from the rubble, gleefully digging for more. "Do you think we can fit all of this on the canoe?"

Maui just laughed and joined his friend.


End file.
